Smart sees further hike in mobile Internet usage

MANILA, Philippines - Wireless giant Smart Communications Inc. of dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) sees mobile Internet usage further increasing next year amid the ongoing “Free Internet” promo.

Charles Lim, executive vice president and Wireless Consumer Division head at Smart and Sun Cellular, said over a fourth of the combined 69 million subscribers of Smart and Sun Cellular are already using smartphones.

“Our subscribers are already seeing the benefit of unlocking the power of their smartphones by using their devices to surf the Internet. And with encouraging results from our Smart Free Internet promo, we see subscribers’ mobile Internet usage further increasing by year-end, and well into 2015,” Lim said.

He pointed out that smartphones are optimized for accessing content-rich apps and websites on the go further contributing to the stellar performance of its mobile Internet business.

Smart jumped 69.2 percent to P5.73 billion in mobile data revenues for the first nine months the year from P3.39 billion in the same period last year as more of its subscribers are using web-enabled smartphones to access the mobile internet.

Overall, Smart and Sun Cellular subscribers have contributed to a robust 112-percent increase in mobile data traffic within the network, equivalent to 27,000 terabytes worth of data exchanged from January to September compared with just 13,000 terabytes of data for the same period last year.

Last Sept. 26, the PLDT Group then announced free Internet access to the 66 million prepaid subscribers, of Smart, TNT, and Sun Cellular wherein each subscriber is given free access to the Internet with a volume of 30MB per day until Nov. 30.

The PLDT Group then expanded the offer to include postpaid as well as broadband subscribers, allowing 72 million users to avail of the free internet promo. The promo was extended until Jan. 5 next year

Aside from the Smart Free Internet promo, Smart and Sun Cellular have also introduced the low-priced PisoNet (P1 for 10 minutes of mobile Internet) and turnkey services such as PowerApp that provide affordable access to mobile app bundles for an always-on mobile Internet experience.

Lim said Smart’s breakthrough mobile data performance for the quarter follows global trends, with smartphone shipments increasing globally by 25.2 percent in the third quarter of the year, according to research firm IDC.

But more than just riding the smartphone wave, Smart has been offering services and content suited to the needs of an emerging market like the Philippines.

“We have introduced game-changing and innovative digital content offerings that allow our subscribers to truly live digital, putting the best forms of mobile entertainment right within their reach and accessible even without a credit card,” he added.

Smart has been leading the charge in making digital content easily accessible to more Filipinos using their mobile phones.